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• Optional advanced tow assist system is now available on all Land Rovers.
• System is designed to simplify the process of reversing a trailer with automated steering.
• There are a range of clever towing and trailer assistance features available.
Automotive technology moves rapidly. New innovations and advancements in driver aids occur often and they're created to help make the experience of driving easier.
Land Rover wants to remove some of the stress of reversing a trailer with its optional advanced tow assist feature, now available on all the brand's vehicles, including Range Rover.
The Tata-owned company says advanced tow assist allows drivers to reverse a trailer using the rotary controller on the centre console to guide the vehicle.
The steering wheel is replaced by using the terrain response knob to operate to conduct the action, the driver is guided by a predicted path of the trailer with coloured guide lines on the infotainment screen. Land Rover says this helps the driver to steer with ease as the vehicle calculates the precise level of counter-steering required to maintain the desired trajectory.
The tech simplifies the action by using the knob to maintain one field of vision, and effectively steers the trailer along the desired path. Gone are the days of needing to constantly check three mirrors and look over shoulders to see if you're making headway.
If you do get into a sticky situation, the feature will alert the driver when approaching a jack-knife.
Image: Motorpress
How Land Rover makes towing a piece of cake
Standard fitment on all models is Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) which monitors the vehicle to detect movements in the trailer and then uses selective braking to help correct potentially hazardous situations.
Danger is averted by a possible trailer sway situation by assisting the driver to regain control by gradually reducing speed, through lowering engine power and applying the brakes individually on each side of the vehicle to control the sway.
It's imperative that the lights on the trailer are working as to alert other motorists and pedestrians of your intentions. An optional feature on all models with the optional Electronically Deployable Tow Bars (EDT) fitted is a Trailer Light Test system will automatically check if all lights on the trailer are functioning correctly.
This saves time for the driver having to manually check if all the lights are working on the trailer, helpful if you're on your own.
Image: Motorpress
Hitch Assist is available on all vehicles with rear cameras and factory-fitted tow bars, either fixed or Electronically Deployable, and helps ease the process of joining a vehicle and trailer.
Land Rover uses the infotainment screen to illustrate to the driver a trajectory line from the tow ball directly to the trailer’s ball cup, the nifty thing is one can do it on your own.
For models fitted with either optional or standard air suspension, such as Discovery, New Defender and Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Velar, can raise or lower the rear of the vehicle to make quick work of attaching a trailer.
Instead of having to manually winding the trailer's nosewheel height to match the tow ball and tow cup, it does it electronically. The rear height assist can also make loading groceries or dogs into the load area easier.
Image: Motorpress
And finally, the Discovery and new Defender are available with a unique Nose Load Measurement System which allows drivers to easily check the weight being applied to the vehicle tow bar.
The duos electronically deployable tow bar hardware uses a calibrated weight sensor to gauge the load on the tow bar itself and warn of dangerous overloading.
Compiled by Sean Parker
Image: Motorpress
